Preps Plus.

Glenbard N. knows how to win thrillers

If you believe in that kind of stuff, Glenbard North is playing like a team of destiny.

The Panthers had to win four straight one-run games to qualify for Friday's Class AA quarterfinals at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, where they will face Fremd (26-14) at 10 a.m.

Glenbard's run began with a 1-0 victory over Schaumburg in the regional semifinals followed by a 2-1 victory in 11 innings over Larkin for the regional title.

Coach Jim McKinney's cardiac kids were just getting warmed up. They squeaked past York 4-3 in 16 innings in the sectional semifinals and won the sectional title with a 3-2 upset of No. 1 Oak Park in 17 innings.

"It's amazing the way they respond under pressure, and this old man is tickled pink," McKinney said. "We start three freshmen and three sophomores, and they're growing up faster than I ever imagined. Now they've got this confidence whenever we're in a close game."

Eighth-ranked Glenbard North (28-11) started fast before getting rocked by the death of freshman Alexis "Ali" Sanoshy, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver. The Panthers dedicated the rest of the season to Sanoshy, and several players painted her number on a uniform patch. Players and friends even took up a collection and named a star after her.

Regrouping after the tragedy, the Panthers have won nine in a row as junior ace Lindsey Veselsky shuts down the opposition until one of her teammates comes through offensively. Freshman left fielder Carla Musillo has wielded a hot bat along with Sarah Bryers, Jen Fiore and Lisa Fagerberg. Veselsky is 25-9 with a 0.24 ERA and 403 strikeouts in 265 innings.

"Veselsky sometimes gets flustered, but lately she has done a great job keeping her composure," Oak Park coach Mel Kolbusz said. "Glenbard North is a fun team to watch because they're a scrappy bunch of kids who don't make errors. They're so young they don't know how to lose."

In another quarterfinal pairing of local teams, No. 2 Lockport (34-6) faces No. 4 Sandburg (31-9) at 5:30 p.m. This will be the third meeting between the SICA West rivals, who split the first two games by identical 2-1 scores.

"We all felt we would end up playing Sandburg," Lockport second baseman Elisabeth Pasch said. "And in the back of their minds, they probably knew they'd be facing us again. They are our big rival, and it should be a great game."